1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for generating and/or displaying a more realistic stereoscopic image. Specifically, the present invention relates to a portable communication device comprising a pair of digital cameras that produce at least one stereoscopic image for transmission, and a pair of display screens that display a received stereoscopic image.
2. Description of the Related Technology
In general, a human being can recognize an object by sensing the environment through eyes. Also, as the two eyes are spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other, the object perceived by the two eyes is initially sensed as two images, each image being formed by one of the left or right eyes. The object is recognized by the human brain as the two images are partially overlapped. Here, in the portion where the images perceived by a human being overlap, as the two different images transmitted from the left and right eyes are synthesized in the brain, there is a perception of 3-dimensions.
By using the above principle, various conventional 3-D image generating and reproducing systems using cameras and displays have been developed.
As one example of the systems, U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,017 discloses “Stereoscopic display method and apparatus therefor.” With a relatively simple construction, the apparatus allows a viewer to view a stereoscopic image via the naked eye.
As another example of the systems, U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,143 discloses “Stereoscopic recording and display system.” The patent discloses that the stereoscopically shown image content is easily controllable by the observer within the scene, which is recorded by the stereo camera.
As another example of the systems, U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,607 discloses “Stereoscopic computer graphics image generating apparatus and stereoscopic TV apparatus.” This apparatus stereoscopically displays two-dimensional images generated from three-dimensional structural information.